The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has launched the Centre for African Diplomacy and Global Engagement (Afro-Global) aimed at promoting diplomacy as an approach to solving global problems.
The centre, located at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra, would also serve as a hub for the provision of cutting-edge scholarly research and training, as well as promoting public engagement on global policy issues using multidisciplinary perspectives and approaches to implement effective policies on some of Africa's global and diplomatic relations.
It would also identify common Africa interest in relations to the rest of the world and position the continent as a place of new and exciting opportunities for business and investment.
According to Mr Bagbin, the international global community was in urgent need of political engagement and diplomacy that was preventive in order to renew and rebuild multilateralism.
He said reliable research data was also necessary to equip new actors in diplomacy with knowledge, which enabled them to make meaningful contributions and decisions.
"Even for professionals in diplomacy, reliable data produced through credible research was of utmost importance. This is where this new centre comes in handy to demonstrate its worth through its work and contribution to a better world," he added.
Diplomacy in the 21st century he said must put people at the centre of the search for collective solutions to global problems, adding that research works that would be undertaken by Afro-Global must demonstrate how placing human rights at the centre of political decisions and financial investments contributed to addressing root causes of conflicts, end violence and discrimination, particularly gender based violence, while increasing women's participation across civil and political life.
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Director and Lead Researcher of the centre, Professor Lord Mawuko-Yevugah, in his submission indicated that it was very important for Africa to be able to propose solutions to tackle global issues, adding that contributing ideas towards shaping the world must not be left for the western world alone.
"As Africans we are capable and can perform extraordinarily if we join forces together to change the narrative. A centre that is African-oriented is needed at this time," he added.
Throwing more light on the objective of Afro-Global, he mentioned that the vision of the centre was to among others, become the leading hub for research and training in foreign policy, diplomacy and Africa's global relations and to provide intellectual space for a balanced dialogue and rate on global issues to help provide an African input in shaping global affairs to help build a fairer and equitable global system.
Explaining, he noted that the centre was committed to advancing academic and professional excellence in foreign policy and diplomacy through innovative research and preparing transformational leaders and policy makers, dedicated to confronting the ridiculous challengers of the changing global environment.
